Windows on the West by Kanna37

Gifting Life

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome as she slept; it was disturbed, and she was obviously still grieving.

Earlier that day, he had gone ahead of his pack to take care of a potential problem before it could actually be one; while he was gone, Kagome had come across a severely injured inuyoukai pup laying with its mother, who was already dead.

She had done everything she could, but it was too late, and the tiny pup had passed as well.

By the time he had returned, she had already had a grave ready, and indeed, it had been too late for Tenseiga to return the mother and pup to life – the creatures of the underworld had already harvested their souls, and so there was nothing that could be done. Kagome had said little, smiling wanly at him and thanking him for trying, before she had set about burying them both with as much dignity as possible, silently weeping for them all the while.

It had hurt something inside him to see her grief for the little pup and its mother, and be unable to do anything about it.

And now, after sitting here in the camp under the stars and watching her dreams reflect her sorrow, a thought came to him; if she had had Tenseiga, and been able to wield it, she could have saved the two instead of burying them.

But she could not wield Tenseiga – she does not have youki. However... it is a thought.

It occurred to him then, as he watched sadness echo in her expression even in her sleep, that there could be no better courting gift to one such as Kagome as the ability to restore life to those like the pup and its mother. It would be the perfect thing, showing to all that he did, indeed, know her well. That he understood her.

Such a thing... I could create a small blade for her, and endow it with the power of Tenseiga – to return life to the dead. And then... I could use the binding spell I was crafting to bind myself to her, instead to bind the blade to her – so that then, she could wield it.

It would take much work, and I would need to travel back to the mountains of fire to forge the blade there... but it would be the most fitting courting gift for Kagome. None other would do half so well.

As he watched a tear slide down one pale cheek from under a closed eye, he decided that he would do it – no matter what it took.

Because for Kagome, gifting life back to those who'd lost it unfairly would be the most precious ability...

And he couldn't think of anyone who would be able to wield that ability half so well as her.

~oOo~

With his courting gift chosen, Sesshoumaru now had to craft it, and to do that, he needed to take his pack somewhere safe, so that he could go and do what he needed to do without concern.

There was only one place they could go – to Inuyasha.

He no longer had any jealousy towards his half-brother over Kagome's affections, and so had no problem with leaving them there for his brother to watch over – he knew that Inuyasha would never allow anything to happen to her.

The next morning, as the pack woke and prepared for the day, Sesshoumaru took Kagome aside and spoke with her.

“We will be returning to Edo. I have chosen your courting gift, but while I craft it, you and the children will be vulnerable – you cannot come with me. I will leave you all in the care of my brother.”

With a light flush, Kagome nodded. “Okay. How long will you be gone?” she asked wistfully.

He considered the morning sky for a time, then said, “Perhaps a week. Between you, Inuyasha, and the monk and taijiya, I have no doubts you and the children will be safe, and I refuse to rush this.” He glanced down at her. “I intend to take my time and do it right.”

Her flush deepening at the underlying meaning in his words – that he wouldn't give her anything but the very best of himself – she smiled shyly and looked down at her twisting fingers. “Okay,” she sighed. “I'm going to miss you, though,” she said softly.

He reached up and ran his fingers across a flush-warmed cheek, a tender light in his eyes that no one but Rin had ever seen before, and agreed. “I, too, will miss your presence. But it will be the last time we will be apart – from the day I return to you, we will remain together for the rest of our lives.”

With that statement and an almost chaste kiss, he led her back to the others, and within two days, they were back in Edo. While Kagome led the children and Ah-Uhn towards the well, Sesshoumaru veered off to go speak to Inuyasha.

After returning to her to look over their encampment, leave his scent behind to discourage predators, and make his goodbyes, he was gone, and Kagome sighed a little sadly. She felt... oddly bereft without his presence, his youki close and twining with her reiki a comfort she would sorely miss.

Inuyasha blew into the camp a few moments later, and Kagome pulled her mind from the missing daiyoukai, turning it to her responsibilities, instead.

It would be a long week...

~oOo~

Landing lightly on an outcropping of rock at the edge of the hottest volcano in the Mountains of Fire, Sesshoumaru simply stared into the magma boiling in the caldera as he considered exactly how to go about creating the weapon.

He had decided to make it a full katana, though a bit smaller than Tenseiga – more suited to Kagome's diminutive stature.

He would use one of his fangs, one of the uppers as they were stronger. And though he was no swordsmith, Sesshoumaru had learned much of blades in his time on Earth – they spoke to him sometimes in the same ways they did to Totosai. He knew he was capable of creating a cousin to Tenseiga – after all, he'd created Bakusaiga within himself without even thinking about it.

He'd not needed a swordsmith for that... proving he'd surpassed his father, who had only wielded swords created by Totosai, though using his own fangs.

And if his father's fang could prove to be the key to the underworld, he had zero doubts he could do the same, or maybe even better.

His hand settled inside his haori sleeve to touch the little glass vial carrying Kagome's blood – he'd gotten it from her just before leaving, and with that, he descended into the fiery pit, ready to begin constructing his betrothed's gift. After all, her blood would not remain viable forever in this heat – and even with his shield over it, eventually it would degrade and no longer be usable.

He didn't step from the caldera for five days, those days specifically going into the forging of the blade. When he finally did ascend over the lip of the volcano, the sword glowing brightly in his hand sang as he slashed it through the air. He was pleased with its song.

The care he had taken in crafting the pseudo-weapon showed in the almost luminescent blade, edges gleaming with a wicked sharpness. As he swung it again, it keened – it was ready for the next portion of the crafting...

The etchings of power to define its purpose, and the blood bonding it to Kagome.

It would take one full day to finish, and then the last day he would rest before returning to his pack – and Kagome.

For the next twenty hours, there were flashes of light and barely heard thrums of power as the daiyoukai worked, pouring everything of himself into his gift. When it came time to bind the sword to Kagome through her blood, a brilliant red beam of light shot straight to the heavens, parting the mists and fogs that hovered over the area.

Once finished, the katana was beautiful – a work of art. The hilt bindings were exquisite – cool shades of blue and white, evoking the color of Kagome's eyes. And the blade itself shimmered with an almost pearlescent light, the metal sharp and yet, like Tenseiga, it was unable to harm anything from this realm.

Unlike Tenseiga, however, this katana's powers over death were stronger – it could save someone that had been dead longer, and it could restore a person to life twice, instead of just once.

That had been a much more difficult strength to add – but he had managed, proving once more that he had surpassed his father. As he moved to sit down against a boulder and rest, the new sword now resting with his, those thoughts sent his mind back to a conversation on just that with Kagome – surpassing his father.

She'd told him then that in order to do so, he didn't have to have his father's swords – Sou'unga, the sword of Hell, Tessaiga, the sword of Earth, and Tenseiga, the sword of Heaven. She had said that he only had to understand the three elements of the swords to be able to equal or surpass his father. She'd been right.

It was ironic, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, that the one who had told him that so long ago was now going to benefit from the fact that she'd been correct.

It would be up to her to name her new blade, and he would be interested to see what she would come up with.

~oOo~

When Sesshoumaru arrived back in Edo, he immediately headed for the meadow camp – his brother's aura was there, as well as Kagome's, and he would need a witness who knew his intended well to his gifting the sword to her.

Besides himself, Inuyasha knew her best, and he would be able to attest to the appropriateness of the gift to any who questioned it.

Folding himself out of his light orb, he looked around at the orderly camp with approval, then met Kagome's eyes and his expression lightened slightly. Then he looked at his brother, who'd stood from his casual crouch and was watching him with interest.

“So'd ya get whatever it was done?” he asked. He'd known what his brother was off to do, though not what the nature of the gift would be.

“Would I be here if I had not?” he questioned, moving towards Kagome and coming to a halt before her. The clearing fell silent as even the children seemed to understand that something important was about to happen.

“I have completed the courting gift that is required of me, and will now present it to you. Will you accept it?” he asked, his tone formal.

Kagome, taking her cue from him, bowed, then replied. “I will accept your gift, Sesshoumaru, and hold it dear to my heart.”

Reaching across his body with an elegance only he could achieve, Sesshoumaru withdrew the as yet unnamed sword and presented it to Kagome with both hands. “This sword is like Tenseiga, only more powerful – and it is bound to you. I could think of no gift more fitting for one of your compassion than giving you the ability to gift life to those who have unfairly lost it. It is yours to name.”

Awed shock lit her eyes, and she looked at him, then down at the sword, before taking it gingerly from him and looking it over.

It was quite beautiful.

All cool blues and whites, with characters of power etched into the blade, Kagome could feel the thrumming of the sword as it recognized her. “Sesshoumaru,” she whispered, “I...” she trailed off, shaking her head, unable to think of a single thing to say. She knew what had given him this idea... that female inu and her poor doomed pup. He'd seen the grief she'd felt and the helplessness.

And he'd answered that in such a way that only he ever could.

A single tear made its way down her cheek and she pulled the sword into her chest, holding it carefully with both hands.

Gifting life... a sword that returns what was lost. She closed her eyes and listened to the hum of the katana, letting it seep into her – and suddenly, she knew its name.

“This sword will be called Shinseikatsuken, the sword of Life,” she said soberly, meeting Sesshoumaru's approving gaze. Then she held it back out to him. “I do not have a place to keep this, nor a sheath for it. Will you keep it for me until I can find a way to wear it?”

He nodded, taking the sword and sliding it back through his obi to join Tenseiga and Bakusaiga. “We will journey to see Bokuseno to procure a sheath, and have your clothing modified to allow for an obi,” he responded.

She bowed again, obviously still having problems speaking – her eyes were stricken, though not with grief, but awe that he knew her so well, and that he had done such a thing for her. It would take some time to sink in.

Inuyasha stomped up to his brother and eyed him with surprise visible in his eyes as Kagome bustled off to pull lunch from the fire before it burned. “You couldn't have picked a better gift to give her – it's worthy of her, and if anyone were ever to say any different, I'd be more than happy to set them straight. I'd never have figured you'd understand her so well.”

Sesshoumaru nodded, his eyes going to the blue sky above, shot through with occasional clouds. “She is still a mystery to me in many ways, and I do not think that will ever change. But I do not have to always understand the cause, to understand the effect.”

It was Inuyasha's turn to nod, and the two watched Kagome mother the children with absolutely no enmity between them.

And now that she has accepted my gift, the courting may continue on... or she could accept me as her mate now.

It is really up to me at this point, as all necessary steps have been taken.

He would, however, not push her, taking things only as fast as she was ready for.

It would be an enjoyable endeavor to discover just how ready she was or was not, he silently reflected.

But that was for another time – when his half-brother and the children were not around.

There would be plenty of chances while they stayed in the vicinity of the well for him to discover exactly what he wanted to know...

~oOo~

A/N: The above referenced discussion between Kagome and Sesshoumaru where she tells him he doesn't need his father's swords themselves, only to understand them to surpass him, comes from chapter ten, The Swords of an Honorable Ruler.

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